Medicating apparatus



July 22, 1930. A. u. wYss ET AL MEDICATING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 30, 19262 Sheets-Sheet l Ill V AVlll/llI/ I/lll/I/ b I 9 I 1 I I 4 V Z I a A 11vmew TORS M QWW July 22. 1930. A. u. WYSS ETAL A 1,771,366

IEDICAT/ING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 30. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTO PatentedJuly 22, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALFRED U. WYSS, 01 PORTWASHINGTON, AN D. WERNER R. KERN, F MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOBS TOB. W. CRAMER & COMPANY, INC., OF NEW YORK, Y.,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK MEDICATING APPARATUS Application filed October80, 1926. Serial No. 145,239.

This invention is a novel medicating apparatus, and relates especiallyto portable medicators adapted for effecting various treatments, forexample as an inhalator for the treatment of the respiratory passages,although the principles are applicable to the treatment of other parts,for example the ears, by means of artificially produced currents of thetreating medium; and in any case the treatment may be done by means ofmedicating vapors or gases carried by the medium or air, or may be amere heat treatment by means of heated gas or air.

The general object of the present invention is to afford a medicator orinhalator,

for natural inhalation by the person treated,

or for forced flow or injection of the heated or medicated gases orvapors, and to permit ready conversion from one use to the other.

. Another object is to provide an improved means of applying electricheat to the air or other medium fiowingthrough the medicator. Other andfurther objects and advantages of the invention will be explained in theherein after following description of illustrative embodiments thereof01 will be. understood to those skilled in the subject.

To the accomplishment of the aforesaid objects and advantagesthe-present invention consists in the novel medicator, and the novelfeatures of combination, arrangement, construction and detail hereindescribed or illustrated.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a central cross section of aportable medicator embodying the principles of the invention, adaptedespecially as an inhalator.

Fig. 2 is a right end view of the medicator shown in Fig. 1. I

Fig. 3 is a combined central section and side view of the medicatorshown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the section taken at right angles to thatof Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a side view of a combined apparatus, including the medicatorof Fi s. 1-5 in combination, with certain additiona elements extendingthe operation and utility of the mvention.

Fig. 7 is an end elevation and Fig. 8 a side elevation showing thedelivery end of the medicatorcombined with an appliance adapting thesame for medication of the nostrils.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation indicating the medicator combined withanappliance for the treatment of the ears.

The drawings show an exterior shell or Outer sleeve 10 having indentedor grooved surface portions 11 to facilitate gripping, and formed with atapered front end 12 having opposite apertures 13 for purposes to beexplained. The outer shell 11 is protected from interior heat byventilation and for this purpose an annular space 14 is provided by asystem of lugs 15 spacing the shell away from an interior casing orcylinder 16 which may be considered as the body of the apparatus. Thefront end of the hollow body 16 is apertured with air inlet holes 17 atits opposite sides in line with the apertures 13 of the ventilatedshell. The front end 18 of the body is thickened so asto present a.tapered inner surface 19 forming a converging passage directed forwardlyinto a recess 20 enclosed within the forwardly extending portion or rimflange 21.

At the rear end of the body 16 is, shown a stopper or block 22preferably fitting snugly within the hollow bod and servingto closetightly that end against escape of air or vapor. The plug 22 has aforwardly extending flange 23 enclosing a cylindrical s we arranged toreceive the rear end of the eating tube to be described. The arran ementof lugs 15, the body 16 and the closing block 22, the securing pin beingpreferably formed in two parts screw threaded together at an interiorpoint.

An annular space or passage is provided within the body 16 between thebody and an interior tube 26 composed preferably of metal and containingthe heating means. The openings 17 in the body constituting the inletsthe travel of the air is longitudinally along the annular passage 25 andthence through circumferential openings 27 near the rear end of the tube26, the travel therefrom continuing forwardly within the heating tube.The front end of the tube is slightly tapered at 28 so that the tube isfirmly wedged into position against the tapered surface 19 at the front,the rear end of the tube fitting within the flange 23 of the block 22closing the rear end of the body.

The heating means hereof is preferably electric and is of a novel andadvantageous character, being such that the air passing forwardlythrough the heating tube is compelled to percolate through amass offibrous hot material. To secure this end there is employed a resistance30 consisting preferably of fine metallic wire wound or covered with afibrous and refractory material such as asbestos which constitutes alsoan electrical insulation. This heating means may be arrangedsubstantially as shown. A length of several feet of the asbestos coveredwire is looped back and forth in loops shortor than the heating tube andthrust loosely into the tube so that the material is self sup-' porting,while at the same time substantially filling the tube and compelling thetraveling air to pass in intimate contact with the heated asbestoscovering. The ends 31 of the resistance wire 30 are shown passed throughholes formed in the block 22 and fastened by winding or otherwise to apair of spring terminals 32 adapted to be engaged and disengaged by anelectric plug 33 connected with a line wire 3%. By this arrangement,when the terminals are connected up to the line wires, the asbestoscovered resistance 30 is highly heated as is also the metal tubesurrounding it. The entering air passing rear wardly is first preheatedat the exterior of the heating tube and then passing inwardly travelsforwardly and becomes highly heated in traveling through the fibrousresistance material. The diameter and length of the resistance wire maybe predetermined to avoid giving an excessive or dangerous degree ofheat, and regulation may be by interposing a rheostat in the line wire.To the heating element of the apparatus may be connected a thermostatregulating the temperature at a predetermined degree, for example abimetallic thermostat which opens and closes the circuit as thetemperature exceeds or falls below the desired poin While the heatingtube 26 has been described as constructed of metal, preferably the otherdescribed rigid parts are constructed of a heat resisting and electricinsulating character such as bakelite. Thus the shell 10, the body 16and the block 22 are preferably constructed of bakelite, while the rigidelements at the delivery end yet to be described are preferablyconstructed of transparent lass. D Thus the delivery piece 36 ispreferably of glass giving sanitary qualities and inspection of theinterior. This is shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 6 as shaped with a conicalterminus 37 constituting a, mouthpiece such as conveniently to beapplied to the mouth of the patient and permit the patient to inhale theheated or medicated air or gases passing through the apparatus. Insidethe mouthpiece is shown a holder or vessel 38 having a conical portion39 conforming with the tapered exit of the mouthpiece 37. Medicating orfiltering material may be contained in the holder 38. The body of thisholder is shown as fitting snugly within the recess 20 formed by thefront flange or rim 21 of the body, while the mouthpiece 36 fits snuglyupon the outside of the same flange 21. The material of the holder 38 isshown at its rear end as re curved at 40 into a forwardly extendingflange, thus providing an annular space or cup 41 adapted to receive anyexcess liquid and prevent it'passing from the holder into the body ofthe medicator. The holder is preferably of glass.

The medicating or filtering of the air or gases passing through theapparatus may be efiected by means of a tampon or small roll of gauze 42which may be thrust through the rear opening of the holder 38 andallowed to expand into the condition shown in Fig. l. The gauze may besupplied with vaporizable liquid or other treating substance either before or after insertion in the holder. It might be provided with abreakable vial of median tion which will thus keep indefinitely andrequire only to be broken by exterior pressure before the tampon isinserted in the holder.

The apparatus so far described is well adapted for treatment ofbronchitis or other affections of the respiratory passages. Itconstitutes an inhalator and requires the suction of the breath atthemouthpiece to cause the circulation and medication of the treatingair as described. It has been explainedthat the apertures 17 constitutethe air inlets to the annular heating passage 25 and it will be observedthat the apertures 13 in the outer shell 10 are in alinement therewith.The air therefore will pass through the apertures 13 and then theapertures 17 into the interior heating passages. The inward travel ofair between the apertures 13 and 17 will tend to induce a lateralcurrent or suction which will draw air forwardly through the ventilatingspace or passage 14 separating the body 16 and. the outer shell 10, andt shell and rendering it possible to handle comfortably in spite of theheat developed'in the interior of the apparatus.

When it is desired to use the medicator for other purposes than as aninhalator it is necessary'to provide for a forced draft or passage ofthe treating air or gases. For this purpose the combined arrangementshown in Figs. 6 to 9 may be employed. It is one of the advantages ofthe present invention that it may be readily converted from an inhalatorto a forced draft apparatus; and the forced draft features are alsouseful in treating respiratory passages of a child orperson incompetentto employ the appara tus as an inhalator. The additional apparatus forconverting the inhalator as explained is shown as comprising a pair ofnipples 44 adapted to be thrust oppositely through the openings 13 inthe shell and into tight engagement with the apertures 17 in the body,as indicated in the broken away portion of Fig. 6. The opposite ni ples44 are shown connected by separate exible tubes 45 to a Y-connection 46which in turn is connected by a flexible tube 47 to a suitable airforcing apparatus. This is preferably a manual ap- I paratus comprisin apump in the nature of a bulb 48 operate by the grip of the hand,preferablycombined with an elastic inflatable bulb .49 containing a'one-way valve 50 at the air inlet. By this arrangement successivepressures upon the operating bulb 48 will cause the inflation of thebulb 49 and a steady pressure and flow of air throughthe passages 47 and45 and thence through the apertures 17 into the body of the medicator asalready described.

The form of apparatus shown in Fig. 6 is readily adaptable for varioususes, for example for treatment of the nose passages by replacing thedelivery piece 36 with an attachment or appliance 52 shown in Figs. 7and 8 having terminals 53 fitting the nostrils. Another usefulemployment of the invention is for the treatment of the passages of theear and for this purpose the appliance 55 shown in Fig. 9 may beemployed, the same having an extension 56 adapted to be insertedexteriorly into the car, while the medicating medium is forced throughthe same by th manual pumping means 48.

There has thus been described a medicating apparatus adapted for variouspurposes and embodying the-principles of the present invention. Sincevarious matters of combination, arrangement, construction and detail maybe considerably modified without departing from the principles of theinvention itis not intended to limit the invention us tending to keepcool the outerto such matters except so far as set forth in the'appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

' 1. A portable medicator comprising a tubular-body with a head at thefront end of the body, an interior heating tube spaced \from the bodyand forming between them an annular passage for preheating of air, saidhead supporting and spacing the front end of the heating tube and havingan annular flange extending forwardly beyond such front end of theheating tube, said body havin apertures admitting air to the front end 0the annularfpassage and said heating. tube having apertures leading fromsaid passage into the rear end of the heating tube, electrical heatingmeans in the heating space bular body, an interior heading tube spacedfrom the body and forming between them an annular passage for preheatingof air, a head spacing the front ends of the tubular body and heating"tube and having an annular flange extendingv forwardly beyond' suchfront end of the heating tube, said body having apertures admitting airto the front end of the annular passage and said heating tube havingapertures leading from said passage into the rear end of the heatingtube, heating means within the heating tube, a delivery piece detachablyconnected to the forward flange of said head to enclose therewith amedicating chamber receiving heated air from the heating tube, and atubular tampon holder enclosed in said medicating chamber, with its rearend fitted within the flange of said head and cupped, to confine excessliquid against access to the heating space.

3. A portable medicator comprising a tubular body with a head at thefront end of the body, an interior heating tube spaced from the body andforming between them an annular passage for preheating of air, said headsupporting and spacing the front end of the heating tube and'having anannular flange extending forwardly beyond such front end of the heating,tube, said body having apertures admitting air to the front end of theannular passage and said heating tube having apertures leading from saidpassage into the rear end of the heating tube, electrical heating meansin the heating space within the heating tube, a delivery plecedetachably connected to the forward flange of said head receiving heatedair from the heatin tube and adapted to receive a tampon hold er, anexterior shell enclosing the tubular body but spaced outwards thereofleaving a ventilating passage extending longitudinally and open at bothends, and lugs spaced from each other and spacing said body and shellfrom each other to leave such ventilating passage, and the front end airadmitting apertures of said body being arranged to receive outside airdirect and to take air from said ventilating passage only by induceddraft.

In testimony whereof, we have afiixed our signatures hereto.

ALFRED U. WYSS. WVERNER R. KERN.

